The Comprehensive Plan establishes the ground rules for private improvement and development. It provides guidelines by which the Planning Commission and City Council can review and evaluate private development proposals. The Plan also provides a guide for public improvements, and can help to ensure that local tax dollars are spent wisely and in a cost effective manner.

Finally, the Comprehensive Plan can serve as a marketing tool to promote Oakwood’s unique assets and advantages, and it can be used to help attract new families, new businesses, and desirable new investment to the community.

Preparation of the Oakwood Comprehensive Plan entailed a five-step planning process. The process was designed to produce a Comprehensive Plan that will promote desirable new development and redevelopment, while preserving and protecting the unique image and character of the Oakwood community.

Each step in the planning process is briefly highlighted below. The process is illustrated in Figure 1.

• Step 1: Project Initiation. Step 1 entailed establishing the 25-member citizen Comprehensive Planning Committee that worked with the Consultant throughout the planning process. Members of the committee are shown in Appendix A. The 25 citizens were selected by City Council and represent a cross-section of the community. The five members of City Council, City Manager and Deputy City Manager also served on the committee. The committee met on several occasions over the course of the 12-month project. Step 1 also included the initial meeting with the Committee to review and discuss the upcoming planning program and conduct a workshop to identify issues and opportunities facing the community.

  In addition to the 25-member Comprehensive Planning Committee, each Committee member was asked to develop a network of 10 Oakwood citizens to review and discuss the planning process at key junctures.

  It should also be emphasized that even though the Comprehensive Planning Committee worked with the Consultant throughout the planning process, and even though general consensus was reached on the Draft Comprehensive Plan, all members of the Committee did not necessarily agree with all recommendations in the Comprehensive Plan.

  City Staff worked closely with the Consultant on a daily basis throughout the planning process. Staff aided the Consultant in revising and modifying the Comprehensive Plan, based on the City’s overall objectives and initiatives. In addition, City Council attended the Committee meetings and added their insight and suggestions, as the Plan was prepared.

• Step 2: Community Outreach. Step 2 entailed several community outreach activities to promote community involvement and encourage citizen participation. These included:

  • a) A community workshop to provide residents and business persons the opportunity to express their ideas and concerns about Oakwood (approximately 90 citizens attended this workshop).
  • b) A written survey that was mailed to residents and businesses asking a range of questions about the City (approximately 600 citizens completed the survey).
  • c) Confidential interviews with 22 persons conducted by the consultant to obtain additional information regarding community conditions, issues, and concerns.

• Step 3: Data Collection and Analysis. Step 3 entailed the collection and analysis of information about existing conditions and future potentials within Oakwood. The analysis encompassed demographics, land-use, zoning, community facilities, public utilities, trans-